FBI warns cyber thieves are stealing private photos from social media accounts

The FBI released a public advisory warning that cybercriminals are infiltrating adult and child social-media accounts to pilfer explicit photos and videos. Attackers rely heavily on social-engineering methods, including brute-forcing passwords obtained from leaks, impersonating Instagram support staff, and sending phishing emails that resemble legitimate login pages. Victims frequently endure further abuse such as sextortion, public posting of the stolen material, harassment, stalking or targeted advertising of the content on their own profiles.

Rachel Tobac, chief executive of SocialProof Security, noted a rise in these incidents and highlighted the severe mental-health impact on young boys, describing it as a public-health concern. The FBI advises users to employ unique passwords stored in a password manager, enable multi-factor authentication, and be wary of unsolicited contacts claiming to be from social-media companies. It also suggests refraining from keeping intimate media in online accounts.